Juan and Cindy are getting ready to go to prom. Cindy is lowering the temperature on the old, leaky air conditioning unit that emits freon gas (CFCs). Juan, her date, is coming to pick Cindy up in his 4 ton Truck-a-Saurus, which burns a lot of gas. The Truck-a-Saurus is fuel efficient at a rate of 2.3 miles per gallon. Cindy’s father, Earl, is clearing a 500 acre forest behind their house in order to plant pole beans.

Question

After Juan arrives, the three of them get into a heated argument about the environment. They each accuse the other of contributing to ozone depletion and causing Earl’s dog, Roscoe, to get skin cancer. Explain who is most guilty and why.
Responses

A No one is guilty. They all are contributing to the greenhouse effect.
No one is guilty. They all are contributing to the greenhouse effect.

B Cindy because CFCs directly react with ozone, removing it from the atmosphere.Cindy because CFCs directly react with ozone, removing it from the atmosphere.

C Juan because the ozone layer is destroyed by gases that come from the burning of fossil fuels.Juan because the ozone layer is destroyed by gases that come from the burning of fossil fuels.

D Earl because deforestation allows more radiation to stay within the earth’s atmosphere and destroy ozone.

Answer 1

In this scenario, the most guilty party regarding ozone depletion is B: Cindy because CFCs directly react with ozone, removing it from the atmosphere.

Here's the reasoning:

• Cindy's action of lowering the temperature on the air conditioning unit that emits freon gas (CFCs) is significant because CFCs are known to be harmful to the ozone layer. When released into the atmosphere, CFCs break down ozone molecules, contributing directly to ozone depletion.

• Juan's Truck-a-Saurus does have a negative environmental impact due to its low fuel efficiency (2.3 miles per gallon), which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, but his actions are not directly linked to ozone depletion in the same manner as CFCs.

• Earl's deforestation may have environmental consequences, such as increasing carbon dioxide levels and impacting local ecosystems, but it does not have a direct effect on ozone depletion in the way that releasing CFCs does.

Therefore, while all parties contribute to environmental issues in some form, Cindy's use of CFC-emitting refrigerants makes her the most guilty in terms of directly contributing to ozone depletion.